BOOK REVIEW: The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas Head of Zeus August 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell General Fiction / Speculative Fiction 8/10 1967: Four female scientists invent a time-travel machine. They are on the cusp of fame: the pioneers who opened the world to new possibilities. But then one […]
BOOK REVIEW: Fairytales for Feisty Girls by Susannah McFarlane Allen & Unwin August 2018 Hardcover, $24.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fairytales / Short Stories / Picture Book 6/10 Renowned girl hero and feisty author Susannah McFarlane presents an illustrated collection of ’tilted’ fairytales featuring girls with smarts. Feisty: typically describes one who is relatively small, […]
BOOK REVIEW: Property – A Collection by Lionel Shriver Harper Collins Publishers April 2018 Paperback, $35.00 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Modern & Contemporary Fiction / Short Stories 8.5/10 Lionel Shriver is a renowned storyteller and the author of We Need to Talk about Kevin. She’s also a brilliant observer and one could argue […]
BOOK REVIEW: Two Sisters written by Åsne Seierstad and translated by Seán Kinsella Little, Brown Book Group March 2018 Paperback, $49.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Non-Fiction / Biographies & True Stories / Discovery, History & Science 9/10 Åsne Seierstad is no stranger to writing about war and conflict. The Norwegian journalist is the best-selling author […]
BOOK REVIEW: The World’s Worst Children 3 written by David Walliams & illustrated by Tony Ross HarperCollins May 2018 Paperback, $24.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Children’s Fiction / Humour 9/10 The President of the United States dubbed it the “Greatest book ever written.” Well, that’s if you believe the joke. This title – […]
BOOK REVIEW: The New Kid: Unpopular Me by James O’Loghlin, illustrated by Matthew Martin Pan Macmillan Australia May 2018 Paperback, $9.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Children & Teenagers / Children’s Fiction 8.5/10 We all know what it’s like to be the new person, whether it’s starting a new job or going to a […]
BOOK REVIEW: Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff Allen & Unwin May 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Science Fiction 6/10 The Three Laws of Robotics 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. YOUR BODY IS NOT YOUR OWN. 2. A robot […]
BOOK REVIEW: Imagine by John Lennon Frances Lincoln Publishers April 2018 Hardcover, $12.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Picture book / Music 10/10 There are few songs as iconic, generation-spanning and pure as John Lennon’s wonderful Imagine. Often criticised as a childish, over-simplified call for an unrealistic and unattainable global peace, its appeal is exactly for […]
BOOK REVIEW: We’re Going To Be Friends by Jack White Third Man Books February 2018 Hard cover, $24.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Picture book / Music 9/10 From John Lennon to Bruce Springsteen, there’s a growing trend to turn the lyrics of a popular song into children’s books, and it is a canny marketing idea: […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Colours of History by Clive Gifford QED Publishing March 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Non-fiction / Picture book / Children’s 9/10 History as told in colours? What a unique and evocative prospect! Clive Gifford’s text and Marc-Ettiene Peintre’s illustrations bring the use of colour throughout history to life, detailing where […]
BOOK REVIEW: Ella Fitzgerald (little People, Big Dreams) by Isabel Sánchez Vegara Quarto Group UK February 2018 Hardcover, $19.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Children’s / Biography 8.5/10 The Little People, Big Dreams series of picture books was created by Isabel Sánchez Vegara after she became an aunty and realised her young nieces didn’t have a […]
BOOK REVIEW: Fantastically Great Women Who Made History by Kate Pankhurst Bloomsbury Children’s Books March 2018 Paperback, $14.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Non-fiction / Picture book / Children’s 8.5/10 Thankfully equality seems to finally be moving forward at an appreciable rate, with too-long-entrenched attitudes and bigotries being overwritten. Any look at the shelves of your […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Lily and the Rose by Jackie French HarperCollins March 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Romance / Historical Romance 7/10 Beloved Australian author, Jackie French is a firm believer in the idea that history explains why our world is the way it is. She has written hundreds of books […]
BOOK REVIEW: 2028 by Ken Saunders Allen & Unwin September 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Political fiction / Satire 10/10 As another pathetic Australian government erodes the people’s rights and faith in the two party system whilst dissolving into yet another farcical leadership crisis, making a mockery of the entire democratic system, Ken […]
BOOK REVIEW: If At First You Don’t Conceive – Your Friendly Guide to Tackling Infertility by Liz Ellis Pan Macmillan Australia April 2018 Paperback, $34.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Non-Fiction / Medicine / Reproductive Medicine 8/10 After retiring from her professional netball career, Liz Ellis and her husband Matt found themselves among the one in […]
BOOK REVIEW: The After Wife by Cass Hunter Orion March 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Contemporary 7/10 A surprising and emotional story starring an unforgettable heroine, for fans of Together, The Lovely Bones and The Time Traveller’s Wife When Rachel and Aidan fell in love, they thought it was forever. She was a brilliant, high-flying […]
BOOK REVIEW: Now, Where Was I? by Glenn Shorrock New Holland Publishers June 2018 Hardback, $35.00 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Autobiography 8/10 Glenn Shorrock’s autobiography is a lot like his music: laid back and fun, never delving too deep into the dark and gritty stuff, he tells his story of a life singing out front […]
BOOK REVIEW: Warhol A to Z by Steve Wilde & Alice Oehr Smith Street Books July 2018 Hardcover, $29.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Picture book / Biography 9/10 Warhol A to Z does so much more than it says on the tin. Trawling through the life of the pop art icon, Alice Oehr’s evocative, childlike […]
BOOK REVIEW: You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed Wren & Rook May 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Paperback / Self-help / Children’s 10/10 Matthew Syed has cleverly constructed an essential helper to any kid (or adult) who is struggling with direction, motivation or self-confidence – and in my experience that is most of us. […]
BOOK REVIEW: A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg Allen & Unwin June 2018 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Paperback / Teen / LGBTQIA 9/10 Thirteen year old Rob Fitzgerald has fallen head over heels for the new girl at school, but for a super shy teen, even talking to her is […]
